Susan Goodwill is author of the Kate London Mystery series. BrigaDOOM, a quirky romp through murder, amateur theatre, and romance gone awry is available in stores now!

Friday, March 17, 2006

Kissin' the Blarney Stone

So today we celebrate in the true tradition of Ireland, one steeped in blarney. Today we raise a glass of warm green beer--or maybe an Irish Car Bomb -- That's Baileys with Bushmills dropped in a pint of Guinessfor those of you collecting recipes--To Saint Patrick.According to David Plotz in an article posted to Slate.com several years ago:Saint Patrick didn't rid Ireland of snakes(They never had any--ever)He didn't compare the Trinity to the shamrock(No evidence of this one anywhere)And he wasn't Irish -(Born in Britain-- kidnapped by the Irish)Eventually he escaped and began converting the happy, hard-drinking, sweater-loving pagansTo Christianity This is pretty accurate from what I can surmiseReal facts about St. Patrick are sketchy as a leprachaun's shadowMost are based on two documents supposedly written by him,one a letter,the other a short piece entitled ConfessionBut this part is true:A shrine in County Down, Ireland, claims to possess a jawbone of the saint which is requested for childbirth, epilectic fits, and to avert the evil eye.

Handy stuff

And if that doesn't take the wind out of your poofy green alcohol-splattered sails, there's more:In 1991 the Irish Pub Company was formed with a mission to populate the world with authentic Irish bars. Dublin-based IPCo and its competitors have installed more than 1,800 "Irish" bars in more than 50 countries. An industry was built around the reproduction of "Irishness" on every continent—including Ireland itself. IPCo has built 40 ersatz pubs on the Emerald Isle, opening them beside the long-standing establishments on which they were based.(source Slate.com article : Ireland's "Crack" Habit-- Explaining the faux Irish pub revolution By Austin Kelley posted yesterday)

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About Me

Susan Goodwill writes the laugh-out-loud funny Kate London Mystery Series. Kate and her Aunt Kitty, an eccentric former B-grade movie star, own and operate the Egyptian Theatre on Michigan's west coast. When the first act is murder, the quirky cast of the Mudd Lake Players, Kitty's amateur theatre group, "assist" Kate in her pursuit of justice. Come along for tne outageously funny rides as Kate solves off kilter crimes and the Players struggle with the show. Stick around for the last act, Kate always drops the curtain on the bad guys.